BJP reacts after Puducherry Congress terms Draupadi Murmu 'dummy president'
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday accused the Indian National Congress's (INC) Puducherry unit of insulting the country's tribal community and women. The party was referring to a tweet by the Puducherry Congress, which allegedly said that Draupadi Murmu, the BJP-led NDA's candidate for the upcoming presidential polls, will be a "dummy president." Reportedly, the Puducherry Congress's controversial tweet has now been deleted.
What exactly did the BJP say?
"Congress has started insulting Tribal Community & Women," tweeted BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, responding to the Puducherry Congress's remarks, sharing its now-deleted tweet's screenshot. "Official handle of Congress labels Draupadi Murmu Ji as 'dummy,'" he said. Poonawalla further wrote Congress is insulting Murmu—a two-time MLA and the first woman tribal leader from Odisha to serve as Jharkhand's governor—"someone who worked her way up."
Congress Puducherry has deleted the controversial tweet
The Congress Puducherry has deleted the tweet against Murmu after facing sharp criticism, as the link to the tweet now displays a message reading "this page doesn't exist." Reportedly, the now-deleted tweet, posted on Wednesday, a day after Murmu's candidature was announced, read, "BJP want a dummy as President and at the same time they want to cheat SC/ST (sic).
Look at the tweet by BJP spokesperson Poonawalla
Who is Draupadi Murmu?
Murmu is an Odia native who served as Jharkhand's governor between 2015-21. The former BJP leader was the state's first female governor and the first to serve a full term as the state's constitutional head. If elected on July 18, 64-year-old Murmu will be the country's first tribal woman and only the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the country's highest constitutional post.
She will contest against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha
BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has named Draupadi Murmu as its pick for the Presidential race. The 64-year-old former Odisha cabinet minister will be contesting against the joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former Union Minister, for the July polls. Murmu rose through political ranks battling poverty and personal tragedies and was awarded the 'Nilakantha Award for Best MLA' in 2007.
